Samuel Bayer to Direct Nightmare on Elm St Remake

Perhaps to the producers of the Nightmare on Elm Street remake thought it Smelled Like Teen Murders, but they felt the best choice for a director was Samuel Bayer.

Granted this guy has had some directing experience, just not with feature films.

Yahoo says:

Music video veteran Samuel Bayer, perhaps best known for shooting Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” will direct a re-imagining of Wes Craven’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” which this year marks its 25th anniversary.

Unlike other reboots of classic horror franchises, which synthesize plot lines from several films, this one, insiders said, will feature a strong element of the first picture, in which Krueger began haunting teenagers’ dreams, attacking them violently in their subconscious in ways that resulted in their real-life deaths.

This is not the only horror that Platinum Dunes has on the batting order. A film called Fiasco Heights is also headed our way. And the director for that project? Samuel Bayer.

Did this guy win a high stakes game of Poker that Michael Bay was at? The media is painting him up as a music video director so I assume he is still working in that capacity, but when they want to illustrate work they know you have seen of his, the best they can do is name some music videos from the early 90s? Really? Nothing I might have seen since then? A check on IMDB reports that he has been keeping himself employed with other stuff they might have mentioned.

To see him cutting his teeth on other projects and climbing the ladder is respectable. But to remake a classic is already going to put him under harsh scrutiny, so I can only hope he turns out to be some hidden gem. Something like this can make or break him.

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29 thoughts on “Samuel Bayer to Direct Nightmare on Elm St Remake

  1. This is actually one of the few horror movie franchises that I think NEEDS to have a reboot. Since now they can do much better efx for cheaper. Freddy is one of those characters that needs better special FX to make him more effective on the big screen. Remember the 1st movie when he was walking down the alley and his arms extended super long to scrape the walls? yea, pretty cheesy, but now it could be done with better cheese.

    1. ya i would say that to…dream sequences could be limitless and they should assume this movie will make over $100 mill…least IMO…maybe it wont but i cant see why it wouldnt.

  2. Hmmmmm..

    Something crossed my mind the second I read this (or more-so seen the picture) there was a post on The Movie Blog a while back in which readers had to send in pictures of posters they had, then a review would be written on “what kind of person they were” (not sure how many of you remember this). I sent in a photo of that exact Elm St item which was on the wall above my tv, in that exact position; not particularly important but thought it was worth a mention! since I haven’t seen this item anywhere else.

  3. im now excited to see this.
    bayer has done some of my fav music vids ever so i went from only being interested in how they update it and rejuvenate it, to actually wanting to see it for its directors hand and influence as well.

    and i think freddy became pretty lame and corny so im more interested in seeing some really scary nightmarish ideas for the new freddy demon.

  4. I think for a bunch of people who constatly bitch about films being stale and formulated giving this new guy a chance would be a good thing. The Blind Melon and particulary the Nirvana videos this dude made were huge…groundbreaking even, give him a shot.

    I rarely, rarely watch horror films but I just watched the remake of Halloween and really dug it because it focesed on the why instead of kill shots. I strongly despise Rob Zombie’s music (Except that hot bassist he had) and would probaly hate his other movies from what I’ve seen but he hit it out of the park with Halloween for me, so I’m glad to see they are breaking from the norm for one of the few Horror films that I think is worth a dam.

    Just My Bloated Opinion…

    1. I dont think there is ANYTHING groundbreaking about the Blind Melon video or the Teen Spirit video. Both were pretty average.

      That girl in the Blind Melon video had a viral following because of HER not his video. And Nirvana was breaking the scene with Grunge. It wasn’t his video that broke any ground, it was the band.

      I just wonder how this guy got picked for a feature film when all his career he has done nothing but 5 minute music videos.

    2. got to agree with rodney…wen i heard this i was pretty sure fans of nirvana where gonna be like OMFG what a good idea…well personally i thought that the video ‘s trhis guy has done kinda blow ass….i mean teen spirit? wtf that looked like it was done by amatuers ….seriously dont say the video was groundbreaking…and u can go both ways about the song, but those videos are far from groundbreaking….shit was no yellow submarine come on ….

  5. *groans*

    The last time I heard of music video directors directing feature films, AVP-R (Alien VS. Predator: Requiem) happened.. I would’ve rather seen Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg be attached; At least then they would’ve had FILM directors!!

    There’s no need (aka “Reason”) for the guys at Platinum Dunes to get someone with little-to-no experience behind the camera for the remake of an iconic horror movie. If they were shooting for the Sci-Fi Channel, then by all means pick the first guy you see, but it’s intended for a theatrical release!

    If they want to show that they at least have some respect for the property, they need someone who’s experienced in that line of work.

    1. I don’t know man, when they did The Cell with Jennifer Lopez, the director had only done music videos. I thought the Cell turned out great, very creepy and surreal. The point is, you never know.

  6. the new friday the 13th isnt a remake its a sequel if you pay attention to the preview one of the kids talks about what happened previously and why the camp is shut down

    1. It IS a remake. It’s a mashing together of parts 1, 2, and 3.

      That’s like saying My Bloody Valentine 3D is a sequel, not a remake, because it mentions the events of the original movie. Just because similar events happened in this movie’s past, doesn’t mean its a sequel. It’s called background info.

    2. ITS not a remake…the camp was shut down allready and teens went there to get the dickens and some brew!…..personally i think that making this movie could be good if they can find a actor who can sit down with england and get the manurism <<< dont know the spelling) down…..people say dont make this..why? the orifinal was good but its deffinatly time to do some remakes cause it seems hollywood is out of ideas for good horror movies…i mean its cool if u like these shitty japanese horror movies they remake here that end up sucking assssss.

  7. You know I liked the idea of Friday the 13th remake seeing as the orginal was not what kept the franchise going. So far the movies looking good too. But I cant see why they would re-make the first Nightmare. Its still a good film as a whole and would say its better than the sequels. Im ok with a new director but Wes and England are the heart and soul of the franchise leave them out and the film might go in a bad direction.

  8. I just want to know why?? They could have at least chosen a more experienced FILM director. Freddy Krueger is like the Indiana Jones of the horror genre. Remaking A Nightmare on Elm Street is like remaking Raiders of the Lost Ark. I want to hear Wes Craven’s thoughts on this.

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